1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to soccer game tables, and specifically, to a mechanism or means for introducing a game ball into play.
2. Prior Art
Soccer game tables have been known for many years. In these games, a planar game surface is surrounded by a wall extending above the game surface. The game surface is typically rectangular, and marked as a soccer field is marked. Goal openings are provided at the center of each of the sidewalls extending along the short sides of the rectangular game surface.
Player rods extend across the game surface between the sidewalls extending along the long sides of the rectangular game surface. Each player rod extends through a corresponding bore provided in each of the game walls extending along the long sides of the rectangle. Typically there are a total of eight player rods, four rods for each soccer team. One or more player figures are mounted on each player rod such that the player figures are suspended above the game surface. The player rods include a handle used by a game user to both rotate the rod and the player figures mounted thereon, as well as shift the lateral position of the player figures relative to the game surface. The soccer game may be played by each game user rotating and laterally moving the rods, thereby using the player figures on the user""s team to advance a game ball past the opponent""s player figures and into the opponent""s goal.
Play at the start of a game, or after a goal, is typically initiated in one of two ways. The game ball may simply dropped onto the center of the game surface, or the game ball may be rolled onto the game surface through an opening provided in the game wall. Each of these methods of play initiation suffers from some drawback, however.
When play is initiated by dropping the ball onto the center of the game surface, it is typically a game user who is called upon to carry out this act. Accordingly, the game user who is required to drop the ball is deprived of the use of one hand at the start of the game. This can be an extreme disadvantage considering the speed with which a skilled game user can shoot the ball into an opponent""s goal. Furthermore, a ball dropped onto the game surface by hand may often miss the center mark and land closer to one of the game user""s player figures. This imprecision may result in disputed goals and disgruntled game users.
When play is initiated by rolling the ball onto the game surface through an opening in the game wall, it is again the typical practice for game user to be called upon to carry out this act. If the ball rolls immediately to an opponent""s player figure, the game user who initiated the game may be deprived of the use of one hand during a critical moment of play. Furthermore, intentional, or unintentional, spin of the ball as it rolls on that game surface may cause the ball to consistently roll towards one user""s player figures, thereby decreasing the fairness of the game.
With respect to both hand dropping and hand rolling the ball onto the game surface, there is yet another undesirable effect. The game user who drops or rolls the game ball into play cannot help having a timing advantage. This user alone knows exactly when play will begin, and accordingly, may extract an advantage by being more prepared to begin play.
Accordingly, there is need for a method and device for initiating play on a soccer game table in a fair, consistent and neutral manner.
Applicants believe that it would be desirable to have a method and device for play initiation that allows all game user to have full use of their hands at the very beginning of a game. It would also be desirable to have a method and device for play initiation that does not permit one of the game users to influence the direction that the game ball rolls at the start of the game, or to have knowledge of the exact moment that play will begin.
Responsive to the foregoing challenges, Applicants have developed an innovative soccer game table comprising: a game surface having an opening therein; and a plunger provided in said game surface opening, said plunger being adapted to release a game ball onto the game surface as a result of a vertical displacement of said plunger.
Applicants have also developed an innovative ball plunger for a soccer game table, said plunger comprising: a cylindrical cup adapted to extend into an opening in a game table, said cup having an upper opening, a lower end wall, and a lower end wall bore; a means for securing the cup to the game table; a piston adapted to be pushed into a depressed position in said cup, said piston including an upper surface adapted to slide within said cup, and including a stem adapted to slide through the cup lower end wall bore; a spring biasing said piston towards the cup upper opening; and a suction cup connected to said stem, said suction cup being adapted to selectively retain the piston in the depressed position.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference, and which constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain embodiments of the invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangement so the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the design engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and device for soccer game initiation that permits all game users to have full use of their hands at the very beginning of a game.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and device for soccer game initiation that prevents one of the game users from influencing the direction and speed of the ball at the start of play.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and device for soccer game initiation that reduces the ability of game user to know the exact moment that play will begin.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention are set forth, in part, in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the description and/or from the practice of the invention.